April Writers are Here!

All Students:  Be sure to read the entries for this group  (April writers).  Everyone is required to comment on at least THREE different pieces of writing.  You must post the comment here on the blog (below the post is the "comments" link to click) AND cut and paste your published comments, complete with dates and time stamps, on to a Word document and turn it in to me by April 23, on Google Classroom.  You must do both to get credit for comments this month.

Remember, comments must be positive, supportive, constructive, and SPECIFIC.  No "Good Job!" comments, unless you follow that with specific things you thought were done well in the piece.  Show them you actually took the time to read and enjoy their work!

"Unexpected Experiences " by Salvador B

     It was a weekday. I was in seventh grade when I made one of my biggest baseball
accomplishments. During seventh grade, I was a very small statured individual and was not
necessarily the strongest on my team. Despite my size, I remember being a mediocre hitter on
my team. I wouldn’t always get a hit, but it was pretty hard for other people to strike me out.
Regular season had already ended and we were in the playoffs. In this tournament, there were
three teams from three different leagues so in totality, there were nine teams. I don’t remember
the exact day we played on, but I do know that it was during a week day since I remember being
excited and at the same time nervous for the game that was scheduled for five thirty. School
ended at two thirty and I had to wait roughly fifteen minutes since my brother was in elementary
school at the time and my mom needed to go pick him up first since his school was just closer to
the house. I get in the car at two forty five and get home at around two fifty. In middle school, I
did not procrastinate nearly as much as I do now, so I did all of my homework, got ready, and
left the house at four o’clock. I arrived at the park at four fifteen. One by one, my teammates get
to the field and we start warming up at four thirty. The sun began setting and the lights for the
field turned on not long after. It almost felt instantaneous when five thirty arrived and when the
first pitch was thrown. We were the home team and I started at third base that game. The first
batters struck out, It was now our time to hit. I was batting sixth in the line up so I was not
expecting to hit that inning. Our lead off gets a single, followed by a double by the second
batter. Our third batter struck out. Then, the fourth batter came up to hit. DINK! It was a no
doubter. The ball was hit at least two hundred and seventy feet. It wasn’t even a surprise since
the clean up batter was the strongest and one of the best hitters on the team. The fifth batter
goes to the plate. I am in the on deck circle putting the bat weight on my bat when I hear a
sudden CRACK! I look up and see my friend trotting the bases. My anxiety for some reason
went through the roof. I walked into the batter's box, sweat running down my forehead from the
insane amount of anxiety that I had and not because of the physical activity I was participating
in. The pitcher throws the first pitch and I let it go since I thought it was going to be a ball.
“STRIKE!” yelled the umpire. The next three pitches were balls. The count was three balls and
one strike. The next pitch, I completely miss a pitch down the middle. Full count and my
nervousness is through the roof. I step out of the batter's box. I catch my breath. I step back in
the box and get ready for the next pitch. The pitcher lifted his leg and I simultaneously lifted
mine. I see a fastball. I put my leg down and I hit the ball. I look for the ball and see it in the air
going towards the right-center gap in the outfield. I started rounding first base then I saw the ball
go over the fence. All of my anxiety was quickly shifted into excitement. I was basically skipping
around the bases with my arms up.  I never expected to hit a homerun considering how small I
was, but I did. It was surprising and unexpected and most importantly, awesome! 
     As I grew older, I made more and more memories playing this sport like pitching a
perfect game and few no hitters. I made the highschool baseball team my freshman year and
was able to stay on it throughout the entirety of highschool. This year was my first year on
varsity and I was extremely ecstatic to make some more memories like the one of me hitting my
first and only homerun. Unfortunately, my season was cut short. I never expected something so
microscopic to have such macroscopic effects. I never expected my time playing this sport to be
cut short an entire season. I never expected my only highschool season with my little brother to
be taken away from me because of a global pandemic, but that's life. It’s just unexpected for the
better or the worse, but it’s okay though. Life goes on.

" I WANT TO EAT YOUR PANCREAS BOOK REVIEW" by Aaron P

(YEP Note: this title is a manga, or a Japanese comic-book-like graphic novel. You are able to find this piece in
your local bookstore or in Japan.) Despite its peculiar title, ​I Want To Eat Your Pancreas ​ , written by Yoru Sumino is a coming of age title about bittersweet romance, love if you would rather.  Love found, love lost, a common
motif throughout the book, in which gains meaning and emotional weight as the momentum of
the story drives the audience into the story, with foreshadowing and suspense to pull the readers’
attention in the story and set up an edge-of-your-seat buildup of anticipation of an unbearable
heartbreak foretold in the introduction of the book. 
Sumino’s piece is a story about a young kid, [Who Shall not Be Named-Kun] (his name is kept
secret and replaced with other phrases in brackets), who finds out that his popular classmate,
Sakura, has a terminal illness of her pancreas. The kid learns this as he finds her diary left in a
waiting room in the doctor’s office. At this point, the kid involves himself into Sakura’s life as
they adventure together, through the city of Tokyo along with their own emotions. Despite her
current condition, Sakura isn’t sad about it, rather she’s full of life and optimistic and shines as
bright as the sun. It’s rather refreshing to see that a terminal illness isn’t keeping a character
captive, but setting her free and allowing her to experience things knowing that her time is
coming soon. Sakura makes it an effort to try to see the world and experience things she
normally wouldn’t see or do without a time constraint. [Main Character-Kun] is quite the
opposite of Sakura, in that he is a very sullen and robotic person. As the work is written through
the point of view of first-person narration, it becomes apparent to the audience that Sumino
sticks true to his character. The dialogue and emotional involvement are what Sumino focuses on
to make his stories well thought out and good. Not only does this give readers something to
relate to, but they can also feel empathy towards the characters and hardships each of them go
through. In my opinion, when the author goes beyond a story and allows a connection between
his piece and his audiences, it creates a more heartfelt and relatable story. The two characters,
[Main Character-Kun] and Sakura share real chemistry between one another and their interaction
makes their two character foils more wholesome, as well as instilling complex insights of life
and faults in the human race in the main characters, which broke readers’ hearts in the end when
the chemistry between the main characters inevitably falls apart. Overall, this story is solely
driven by their relationship, which is why Sumino focuses on creating an amazing relationship
between these two characters. The ending is something that you wouldn’t expect and packs quite
a punch. The author illustrates a delectable, but cruel depiction of human life, that being
unpredictability and unreliability.
I have nothing but good words to say about this book. It was definitely a book worth picking up.
Not only did the author reel me in with its impending heartbreak at the very beginning of the
story in order to build up the anticipation of the ending, but Sumino also created the connection
between the book and the readers and that’s what every book strives for, as it allows readers to
put themselves in the middle of the story and relate towards the characters, their emotions, and
their relationship(s). This trait by far is what makes the book a worthy piece to pick up in your
free time because it takes you along with [Main Character-Kun] and Sakura and their adventure
through Tokyo. Personally, I became attached to Sakura’s character and her optimistic
personality and her ability to find light in every sad or unfortunate event. However, I also related
heavily towards [Main Character-Kun], as he was much of a pessimistic person who didn’t enjoy
talking to other people or interacting with people outside of the house. As the kid interacted with
Sakura it was a heartfelt interaction due to the influence that Sakura had on [Main
Character-Kun], essentially making him see the bright side more often than not. There is a lot of
morals that I learned during my time reading this book, including look at the positive side despite
the horrible situation that you are in and make the best of your life because life is unpredictable
and unreliable, thus no one should have certain expectations of life itself. I highly recommend
this book if you are looking for a bittersweet romance. You’ll find that the work is a very
pleasant read with a satisfactory ending, as well as an emotional connection to the characters. :)

" My Abstract Idea of Social Distancing" by Reginald M

     On March 30, 2020 there were currently over 5,700 confirmed cases of the coronavirus connected to the state of Florida opposed to the 160 cases recorded about 14 days before, according to an interactive dashboard from the Florida Department of Health. If the symptoms are estimated to become apparent roughly two weeks after an individual was initially exposed, what happened two weeks prior to March 30th? Spring break happened. NBC News stated that the population of beaches in Florida began to surge around March 17th. All of this occurred despite the local authorities already suggesting its communities to reduce their amounts of social activity and the duration individuals spent outside. This means we as a society must temporarily practice a way of life referred to as “social distancing”. By the standards of Merrium-Webster, social distancing translates to, “the practice of maintaining a greater than usual physical distance from other people or of avoiding direct contact with people or objects in public places during the outbreak of a contagious disease in order to minimize exposure and reduce the transmission of infection.” This implies keeping physical socializing to a minimum and, ultimately, staying home. Many seem to get this confused with “solitary confinement”. Florida assumed social distancing meant they couldn’t enjoy themselves and their spring break, resulting in the nonessential trips to the beach regardless of a pandemic.

      The nation may appear to be as though we are all under house arrest, completely devoured by boredom, but that couldn't be more on the contrary. Social distancing can be more than just a lockdown. While this is obviously a precaution to keep all United States residents healthy and safe, as well as prevent any excuse for society to break out into anarchy, to distance oneself means much more than simply safety. Social distancing is an opportunity to be productive. Having little freedom to do as you please in an event like this only allows for people to catch up on everything they didn’t have time to do before because they were too busy doing other things that involved going outside. Now there is no excuse for “not having enough time” to start working out at home or even to finish that book that’s been collecting dust on your desk. You can finally rearrange your room, watch that Netflix series all your friends keep talking about that may or may not be about tiger scandals, or even play all the video games you’ve had to sacrifice during a normal week of school. You can go through all of your old photos, learn new recipes, maybe even write poetry if that’s your thing, whatever it is you had no time to do before. If you’re missing the sun, now’s a better time than ever to put your backyards to use. No more waking up extra early to get ready and look good because now you have the pleasure of doing your notes and homework in bed. Sure, you won’t get to see a lot of friends or your favorite teachers anymore but at least now you can educate yourself in the comfort of your own home and put your focus into other things. Take this time to reflect on yourself, the goals you want to achieve during and after this quarantine, as well as appreciate the friends, family, and activities you are missing out on while we are confined to our homes.

      While social distancing may be an extreme inconvenience for those who are accustomed to their obligations outside of home, I see it as an opportunity to spend time with yourself and take advantage of the excess time and energy that the absence of many outside world
responsibilities has given us. The whole nation being grounded by the government doesn’t have to result in us being miserable. The whole idea of this isolation is to keep ourselves and each other safe, and to get through this drama as quickly and easily as possible so we can go back to how things were before. It is important that we are educated on this idea and understand that it is not nearly as terrible as it seems so we can combat the effects of the virus and the damage it causes to our society, all just by staying home. However you decide to spend your quarantine, try to make the most out of it, and if you cannot, know that social distancing most importantly means that things will return to normal much sooner than if we weren’t all staying home. 

"Albondigas Soup Recipe " by Luis G

1.) Preparation of ingredients: We will be starting off by just getting our ingredients together and prepared to make this process easier especially for people who don't often cook.

Start by taking 1 large yellow onion and finely chopping it into little squares, to make this easier if a chopper is available use that instead of cutting by hand with a knife. Then proceed to take 1 large garlic clove minced and wash, peel and clean it. You also need either 2 quarts of ​chicken stock​ or beef stock which is up to you on which brand and flavor you want. 1 quart of water is also needed obviously to pour in eventually which should be available to everyone at home. There are various brand names of tomato sauces but we use the “hunt” tomato sauce, 1/2 cups will be needed. Next prepare 3 large potatoes, by peeling and cutting them into halves. Carrots are optional but if you are putting carrots in, either buy 2 large carrots or baby carrots, if using large carrots cut and peel into the size of baby carrots. Next we need to get 1/3 cup of raw white rice preferably Jasmine Rice found in almost any grocery store. You will now need to have 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey if possible 80% lean. 1 egg will be needed and 1 and a half teaspoon of salt along with 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. You can use cayenne if some extra flavor is what you want this is optional. For the last bunch of ingredients 1 and a half cup of frozen or fresh peas which is also optional can be bought almost anywhere, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, crumbled, or 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano and for the last ingredient needed, Limes cut into slices is the last touch to it all. This sums up all ingredients in order to make albondigas.

                                                                                imgres

2.) Now that all your ingredients have been prepared to make the albondigas your first step would be making the soups broth. You’ll need a large soup pot at least 9 quarts or bigger, to cook all the ingredients. Add chicken stock, water, tomato sauce and salt to the pot. Bring water to a boil and add potatoes and carrots to the mix you already have going. This can vary depending on what you personally want in your soup, some may leave some vegetables out or some may add other vegetables they want. 
3.) Now for the second part you will be preparing the meatballs In a large bowl, mix rice into meat, adding salt, pepper and oregano. Get a good mix of those ingredients and mash them into a ball shape to get your meatball shapes. Then proceed to mix the meatballs you have made in raw egg to help the meatball stay together when you throw it in the pot to cook. Add the chopped garlic and onion you already have prepared into the pot of ingredients now. Also on a side note the meat ball sizes shouldn't be bigger than about 2 inches, don’t stress on measurements of the meatballs and just eye it and your meatballs should be perfect.
4.) To start the third step add meatballs to soup now, when adding the meatballs be sure to gently place them one by one in the soup as you don't want them to be thrown in
there, that may break your meatballs in half and ruin their shapes which also can speed up how fast some meatballs cook depending on their sizes, and we don't want some cooked more than others. Add peas last since they cook fastest and anything else that you have decided to add that is cooked quickly. Cover the pot with the lid and let everything cook for half an hour.
5.) Now for the finishing touches add a few pinches of oregano and also add some sprinkles of salt and pepper, and a small dash of cayenne for some flavor, the amount you put in can vary on how you prefer your soup to taste. That being said you will have to experiment a little with your soup to get it just right for your own personal liking. You can also add lime juice to give extra flavor and if available some chile also for some extra spice. 6.) Now you got a tasty soup that in my opinion isn’t very complicated to make, I hope you enjoyed this “How To” tutorial about making (Mexican) Albondiga soup.
 

"How to make: The Flourless Chocolate Coconut cake " by Rebeca S

Growing up I have always loved cooking and baking. Coming from a family that is from Brasil it takes a huge part in my culture as well. I have been making this coconut cake since as long as I can remember. On top of the cake is this Brasilian dessert called Brigadeiro. If you want to, you can eat it by itself too. It is a bit different than most cakes because you make this one out of the microwave which is what most people I know do. It is a quick and easy thing to make especially if you have a sweet tooth. 

Ingredients for Cake:

❏ 6 eggs

 ❏ 1 ½ tablespoons of sugar

 ❏ 6 tablespoons of chocolate powder

 ❏ 1 teaspoon of baking powder

 ❏ 6 tablespoons of butter

❏ Half a bag of coconut shreds  Ingredients for Brigaderio:

 ❏ 1 can (14 ounce) of condensed milk

❏ 2 tablespoons chocolate powder

❏ 1 teaspoon of butter

How to make the brigadeiro:

 1. Gather all the ingredients

 2. Have a medium size pan ready to put the teaspoon of butter on it

3. Have the heat at medium as well

4. Once the butter has melted add the whole can of condensed milk

 5. Add the 2 tablespoon of chocolate powder 

6. You need to stir the condensed milk constantly while mixing the chocolate  powder

 7. Keep stirring until the mixture get thick and has a fudge consistency

8. Once at the fudge like consistency turn off the heat and let it still until needed for the cake 

    a. Know that it is sticky to deal with so keep that in mind

                                                  This is how the consistency should be. 

   ➢ Now there are two ways to make this cake: one with a layer of cake, then  a thin layer of brigadeiro than another layer of cake with brigadeiro on top  Another way is just making the cake and only with brigadeiro on top. It is all in preference and the time you personally want to take to make the cake. 

How to make the cake with brigadeiro layer inside -

    ➔ I recommend this one be out of the microwave as it gives you the best results
1. Gather all the ingredients but the coconut shreds into a bowl
 2. Mix the ingredients in the bowl a. Either by hand, a mixture or a blender
3. Add the coconut shreds into the mixture  a. Slowly fold the coconuts shreds
 4. Add half  mixture to a pan
   a. Preferably a silicone baking pan for best results in microwave (wet before putting in mixture)
5. Put the mixture into the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes 
   a. Make sure the first half isn't fully cooked but has firm hold
6. Pour the thin layer of brigadeiro onto the cake
   a. Be careful with is process brigadeiro can be sticky
7. Pour the other half of the cake for 3 to 4 minutes until fully cooked 
8. Now pour the brigadeiro on top 
  a. This can be tricky since brigadeiro can be stick once you start it will come along
  b. You can also add toppings like sprinkles as well 


  ★ If you want to use the oven just add the mixture into two metal pans at 350degrees for about 6 minutes but depending on the oven will be longer or shorter in time. Just add the thin layer of brigadeiro in the middle. Just top with brigadeiro as you would. 

How to make the cake with brigadeiro on top

 1. Gather all the ingredients but the coconut shreds into a bowl
2. Mix the ingredients in the bowl
    a. Either by hand, a mixture or a blender
3. Add the coconut shreds into the mixture
    a. Slowly fold the coconuts shreds
 4. Add half  mixture to a pan
    a. Preferably a silicone baking pan for best results (wet before putting in mixture)
    b. Make sure you use a nonstick spray in the metal pan
5. Put the mixture into the the microwave for 6 minutes or the oven at 350 degrees for about 6 as
  well
6. Once done just add the brigadeiro  on top 
   a. Remember it can be tricky to deal with, just take your time.

Tip:  As long as you have the ingredients and bake it fully you will have a delicious cake. Just know there are ways to make the simple cake fancy with the topping. Either way you choose to make the cake just keep an eye on it because it does cook quickly if you don’t.  When dealing with brigadeiro butter is the best way to go. If you want to smooth down the brigadeiro on top of the cake just just any tool you see to fit best and just add butter. This will make sure that the brigadeiro doesn't stick to your tool. 

                                     Have fun making flourless  chocolate cake and enjoy!!

"The Second Half of Senior Year" by Kori Y

     In the days leading up to March 13th, I didn’t know what to expect anymore. Emails were sent out throughout the week informing students that we should be prepared for remote learning in case of a school shutdown. At the start of the week, I was fairly certain that the school wouldn’t shut down. Why would it when all the other times I wished it would close, it wouldn’t? However, as the week progressed, I grew more and more convinced that the possibility of the school shutting down was a considerable one. Then, March 13th arrived and the announcement came that the school was closing. To many students, the shutting down of school was probably a grace they’d get to experience only once in their life. Based on the reactions I heard in the hallway of the B building after the announcement, this seemed quite true.

     I was still a little confused about how I was feeling by the time I got home that Friday as I was overwhelmed with all sorts of different emotions. To be honest, I would’ve been lying to myself if I said I felt completely and absolutely opposed to the idea of not going to school for the next few weeks. In fact, there was a part of me that was relieved that school was “out”. Maybe then, that test that was planned for Monday could be rescheduled or I wouldn’t have to turn in that assignment I hadn’t started yet. However, I was also feeling lost. There was another part of me that hated the fact that school had shut down, not because I didn’t recognize the dangers of continuing to keep school open at times such as these, but because of the time I had left in high school that would slowly be slipping away. As I went to my room, I was already considering the impacts that this school shut down would have. It hit me that the school shut down would have a different impact for seniors that the juniors, sophomores, and freshmen just couldn’t understand. For us seniors, the time that we’d spend at home was time that was originally intended for us to close out our 4 year journey. As a result of the school shutting down, we wouldn’t be able to talk to the teachers that we had grown to respect and admire throughout the years, see our friends, possibly make new ones, and make our last finishing touches on the impact we wanted to leave behind. Before I knew it, my first week of distance learning had begun and immediately, it didn’t feel right. With no incentive to get up early in the morning and no school environment, I wasn’t in the mindset to focus on doing school work. Thankfully, spring break came just as quickly as the first week of remote learning did but unfortunately, it wasn’t much better.

     I sat in my room as the days of spring break passed by. There wasn’t simply a feeling of emptiness but one of confinement. Funny enough, it was one of the most peculiar feelings of confinement ever. Although spring break was here, no one was going out to malls or theatres or to each other's houses. There was no parent keeping me from going outside because I was in trouble. Yet, there was an invisible force keeping me inside. From what I remember, every day of spring break was a beautiful one with just the right temperature and good amount of sunlight. When I went out into the backyard, the air seemed pure and cooling while the sun brought warmth like how a campfire did on a chilly night. However, that was all I could experience from within the confines of my house. I would always find myself eventually returning to my room with a whole lot of time to let my thoughts wander. The outside almost seemed to be mocking me by deciding to bring such great weather while I couldn’t go out. The days eventually all sort of blended together. It didn’t matter much whether it was Monday or Friday or whether it was a weekend or a weekday. The date of the month didn’t matter much either unless it was for a due date to turn in an assignment. However, I still knew that spring break was coming to a close and I would soon be receiving more Google classroom and Remind notifications than I ever had. 

     Eventually, our return to school got pushed from April 3rd to May 1st and then the rest of the school year although I wasn’t surprised. Although this situation brought along a lot of inconvenience, it also gave me time to think, time that I never really had before while I still went to school. Until this quarantine, it had never occurred to me just how much I actually valued time at school. Time away from my senior year made me recognize that although I wouldn’t be able to make a few more last memories from the year, I did at least make some in the beginning of the year and those are the ones I should appreciate. A year ago or maybe even half a year ago, no one would have dreamed that everyone would be stuck inside for so long. Because no one ever really knows when events such as these will occur, it is important to cherish the times where you’re free to be out in public without worry or go to school and be with friends. All the time alone in quarantine helped me understand that we never really see the value of some things until it is taken away from us.

     I hope everyone is okay during this time and thank you to everyone from doctors to nurses to scientists to even your average everyday person for their efforts to make this situation better. Whether it be from treating sick patients directly, studying the virus, or simply social distancing, it is all appreciated.

"Masculinity" by Rinel-Christian A

     A college student stumbles across a friend.  The friend says, “Hey man! How has life been? I haven’t seen you since school started.” The student replies, “Oh hey, it’s been great. Yeah, hardly see you anywhere nowadays.”
     “We should totally grab something to eat some time! You know, to catch up on life and whatnot.”   
     “Totally!”
     “Great! Well… I’m on my way to class right now, so I have to go. Text me if you need anything! You know I’m always here.”
     The college student heads back to his dorm and closes the door. Soon, he finds himself on the floor, facing an emotional breakdown. After recovering, his first concern is, “I’m glad no one was here to see this.”
     Too often, men grow up to believe that revealing their emotion is the “unmanly” thing to do. Social construct has taught us that the highest value of man is to assert dominance at all costs. We associate masculinity with not being able to cry in public, having no weaknesses, being violent, and treating women as objects. These ​broken ideals ​ of the socially-accepted definition of “masculinity” have tampered with a multitude of relationships, and have led us to build a “glass ceiling” around their own character. It has hindered the ability to see past our privilege and recognize that these exact ​ideals ​ have manifested issues that only exist because of a facade we feel the need to put up to avoid getting their guy friends to say, “Just man up.”
     According to the NISVS’s 2010 Sexual Violence Report, “90% of sexual violence against women was from men, and 93% of sexual violence against men was from other men.” Then one may say, “Well there are many factors that affect their upbringing.” To counter, Dr. Valerie Hudson accounted for 350 of these external variables in 175 countries and concluded that not only does patriarchy and male aggression contribute to numerous global issues under the sun, but also found that men have the highest suicide rate. Some may believe it is because men have more testosterone than women. Contrary to this belief, professor of psychology from Knox College, Frank McAndrew says there is little to no connection between testosterone and aggression. Toxic masculinity has been an issue under our noses, and it is time to cast away the negative terms that are so often linked to it.
      I am not saying men should stop being courageous, tough, and powerful. Masculinity should be redefined to mean “the ability to use the qualities that make us who we are to deepen the understanding of our heart.” What I mean by this is to be ​courageous ​ enough to be ​vulnerable ​ , ​tough ​ enough to be sensitive ​ , and to drop our ego and listen to the women in our life. We need to break from this glass ceiling and rise above this brute nature. Through this, we can build fruitful and genuine relationships, romantic or not. Many of us find ourselves in situations similar to that of the college student at the beginning. With this new definition of masculinity, it can spare many of us from suffering alone. 

"Dancing With The Stars" by David G

DISCLAIMER:​ THIS STORY IS NOT ABOUT ME ​PURELY FICTION

      Look, if you thought this might be about the show. Not to disappoint but you are mistaken. I will skip the formalities of introduction because my name is not all that important. What I will say is that I lived most of my life seeing life in black and white. I grew up without parents and my aunt who took me in, goes on oversea business trips often so I usually live alone with her sending me money to help myself. I’ve always been alone. That's how it should be. I don’t really think people like me anyways because I don’t show emotion. The interaction I have between people, felt nothing, hanging out with people, felt nothing, every gift they gave me, felt nothing. I felt nothing.  I thought feeling nothing was normal, until it happened. I felt a sensation in my chest. My heart started to beat faster. What is happening to me? I was scared, I didn’t understand, but whatever display of images that bleed into my eyes truly was a sight to behold. The bright illumination, the brilliance, the beauty, It was amazing. The passion, the fiery anger, the sadness, the vastness. Is that what it is? Huh? Tears? But why? Is this what people call emotion? Sadness? Joy? No, it's both. The feeling of happiness, the feeling that my doors to my heart has finally opened. This feeling is amazing. I have never felt like this. I do not want to lose sight of it again. The feeling of sadness, the fact that I have felt empty for most of my life brought sadness to me. These emotions that have been sealed away for most of my life that makes the very fiber of a being together disappointed me. I started to see the world in true beauty. They way it was meant to be seen. I finally started to see the world in vibrant colors. I have found the river in the desert. No, I have found Earth within the vast universe. I was traveling in the emptiness of space, floating in nothingness. I didn’t know where I was. I lost all hope of finding sanctuary. Then I have finally found it. Mother nature's beautiful creation. The breath of life. This all happened after I went stargazing. Waiting till midnight away from the cities, I thought my life was coming to a close. Nothing in my life brought any emotions so I thought “What was the point of living?” There's nothing for me. I was always unmotivated, apathetic, isolated. Then I saw it. The North Star. The one thing that guides a vessel on its journey to discover the new land. The one thing that keeps ships going on the right path. Then I also noticed Orion's belt, the big dipper, the little dipper. Then the whole sky filled up with stars. But how did I realize what and where these constellations were? Oh I forgot. It was thanks to you. You were the one to guide me all along. I just never realized it. You were there for me every step of the way, but I thought your efforts would be for nothing. You confessed your love for me, but I thought there was someone better. You never gave up on me. I was stupid, If only I had realized that you have always been a part of my life from the very beginning. After that moment, I truly felt like I was Dancing with the Stars.  We spent our days together enjoying each other's company. Laughing together, hanging out together. These were the days we longed for. I can never be more grateful in my life that you have stuck with me all this time.   You have saved me. I love you.  One day you texted me to meet you in the hospital. She ensured that she was completely fine. Upon arrival to the room she told me to meet her in, She was the one on the hospital bed. She lied to me. She told me her mother was feeling ill and she wanted me to come visit. The first thing she told me was that she needed to confess something to me. This whole time she never told me she had a rare genetic disease. I couldn’t believe it. She never told me?
     “Why did you keep this from me? Why? Why! You should have told me! I could have prepared myself for this moment if you have told me beforehand! Why did you keep this from me? I don’t understand. I DON’T UNDERSTAND!” I couldn’t hold back my anger, my tears. I was scared. I was scared that I was gonna lose you that's why I lashed back. She explained to me “I really am sorry for keeping it a secret from you but I did it because I wanted to help you. I knew you were in pain and I knew I would hurt you more if I told you. If something happens to me I want you to know this. Don’t ever lose sight again. Even if I am not with you anymore. I will still always be with you.” A couple days have passed. I visited her in the hospital everyday but we couldn’t have conversations; it was mostly just small talk, long pauses of silence, and more small talk. One day as she was talking, it happened, she suddenly stopped talking. I turn towards her after looking outside the window. My eyes widened. I was in terror. I ran out to call the doctors. She was having a seizure. Many doctors ran into the room to try and save her. I was pleading, and pleading, and pleading that she will survive. What felt like an eternity, doctors came out and with the look on their faces, I knew she had passed away. She left me alone. By myself. This is how it should be. My world is once again black and white.

"Youth: Our Gains and Losses " by Kristin H

     The moment you’ve been waiting for: your name is called from onstage, you raise and
walk up the steps, cheering and yelling all around you. The administration that you barely
interacted with in the past four years will clasp your hand and give you a firm shake. You walk
down their line to receive the piece of paper that defines the grades you’ve earned and the work
you've done for the past 18 years of your life. Smile to the crowd, give a little wave, and the list
goes on. That’s the end. You sit in your seat and wait for it all to end only to take a few pictures
and shuffle off into the unknown of adulthood. That’s the end of your youth. 

     According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, youth is defined as “the period
between childhood and adult age,” a subsidiary definition being “the state or quality of being
young, especially as associated with vigor, freshness, or immaturity.” The coming of age films
we’ve grown up with would have you think that youth is the fun you have prior to college,
including wild parties, hook-ups, and rebelling against your parents. Hollywood lives vicariously
through these carefree cool kids just as we do because real life isn’t a 140 minute film that ends
on the perfect moment. What is in these unattainable characters that we do not have is their
endless youth.

     To put it simply, real life has consequences. In the past two years I’ve seen many former
friends of mine become these caricatures of youth: carefree, rebellious, and draining all the life
juice they can get from every possible moment. I’ve also seen their fear of missing out grow
exponentially, making sure to record every possibly enjoyable moment they can and save it to
their Snapchat memories. I’ve seen their nicotine addictions come to fruition, their anxiety grow
so large they find themselves crying on the floor of the J-building handicap stall, and the hope in
their eyes fade as they realize that the best years of their life are over.

     Yet, these have not been the best years. The youth we hold within us is carried
throughout our lives. Many of us didn’t have the opportunity to make use of the youth we did
have because we spent so much of this short time trying to grow up or deal with circumstances
that did not allow us to enjoy the little time we had. The Journal of Developmental & Behavioral
Pediatrics published a study in 2018 that revealed lifetime diagnoses of depression and anxiety in
adolescents ages 6-17 have increased over time, increasing from 5.4% in 2003 to 8% in 2007 and
to 8.4% in 2011–2012. I was one of these children suffering from both major depressive disorder
and anxiety, and for the majority of my life I felt that the time I had lost to suffering from these
two disorders could never be gained again and I viewed myself as a lost cause in the youth
department. 

     In the past when I have brought this thought process up to the therapists I’ve had, the
answer I received was more or less the same; Those that tell you that these are the best years of
your life are lying to you. In the grand scheme of things, these past 18 or so years have made up
a small fraction of your life. The mistakes you made, the suffering you endured, the inner turmoil that comes with being a teenager ​will ​ be a fleeting memory, if that. Your youth is not confined to
these few years and you will find that it will spread throughout your long life for quite some
time. The happiness you will find in knowing yourself, in learning about the world around you, and in the love you ​will ​ find will exponentially increase the youth you now have. There is no true loss of youth that you will find in your life. Even the most draining and insufferable
circumstances will lead to your growth in heart, spirit, empathy, and mind. There is no need to
worry about these being the greatest years of your life, those years are only starting now. 


     Works Cited

Bitsko, Rebecca H., et al. “Epidemiology and Impact of Health Care Provider–Diagnosed
Anxiety and Depression Among US Children.” Journal of Developmental & Behavioral
Pediatrics, vol. 39, no. 5, 24 Apr. 2018, pp. 395–403.,
doi:10.1097/dbp.0000000000000571.

"How To Do CPR" by Hannah C

 
In any state of emergency, knowing what to do and what you actually can do is essential to have everyone that is involved have the highest chances of survival. CPR is the right action to take when someone is unconscious, not responding or breathing, and with little or no heartbeat. CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and it can help start up the heart again by manually pumping their body’s blood from the heart and giving lifesaving oxygen by blowing air directly into the lungs of the person in need. There are specific steps in order to do CPR properly and following them accordingly can be the difference between life and death. Anything can happen in an emergency and being properly prepared and aware to handle any situation is essential. 

Obviously, reading this how to once or twice won’t make you a qualified professional, or make you get certified in CPR.  Professionals trained in CPR go through hours of in class learning and hands on training before they can even touch a person in real immediate danger. Data has shown that doing CPR without proper training has a higher risk of injury to the individual than not performing CPR until medical professionals arrive. Without knowing exactly what you are doing, you risk breaking the individual’s ribs, cause them to vomit, induce additional brain damage, and lodge forgin objects within the person’s body. This is also not a certified training course in any way, so pulling this up instead of dialing 911 is not recommended. This guide should be used as a foot in the door to understanding the steps of CPR and will hopefully inspire many to obtain their certification which can save the life of a stranger or even someone you hold dear. 

There are three types of CPR, the CPR intended for adults, children, and infants. This guide will just be going over the CPR for adults because it is the simplest and most likely to be used. 

STEP 1: Immediately after noticing a person unconscious on the ground, first ensure your safety, then tap and shout to try to wake them up. Immediately shout for help to dial 911. Look for any normal or not normal breathing, including gasping. Check their carotid pulse on the neck which is the most convenient. If they continue to not respond or you notice their heart is not pumping, lay them down on a dry, flat, firm surface, call for 911 again and immediately begin high-quality CPR. If the individual is breathing fine with a pulse, monitor them till emergency responders arrive. If they have no normal breathing, but have a pulse, provide rescue breathing, one breath every 5 - 6 seconds and check pulse every two minutes. If you do not definitely feel a pulse within 10 seconds, begin CPR. 

STEP 2: Once 911 has been called, EMS (Emergency Medical Service) has been activated. If there are other people around, call for help, an AED (Automated External Defibrillator), and emergency medical equipment. With or without help, start chest compressions. 

STEP 3: Carefully remove the clothing that is covering the victim's chest to allow you to locate the correct hand placement for compressions and allow placement of the AED pads. Position
one heel of your hand on the center of the victim's chest, on the lower half of the breast bone, while placing the heel of your other hand on the top of your first hand. Straighten your arms and hover directly over the individual, with your shoulders over your hands. Always remember the ratio of 30 compressions to 2 breaths. Once you begin compressions, compress with a rate of 100 to 120/min and press down 2 inches deep. Giving consistent compressions are very important, because each time you stop chest compressions the blood flow to the heart and brain decreases and it takes several compressions before the blood flow returns to normal. If an AED arrives before the round of compressions is done, finish all 30 then follow the directions that the AED says out loud as explained in step 5.

STEP 4: When a person is lying down, their airway is naturally obstructed slightly by the tongue, so in order for breaths to be effective, the victim’s airway must be opened. The head tilt-chin lift method is exactly what the name implies. Push down the individual’s forehead down lightly with your palm to tilt their head back, then use your other hand to lift their jaw and chin forward from right under the chin. Another method is the jaw-thrust maneuver, which is used when the head tilt-chin lift method doesn’t work or a spinal injury is suspected.  Place one hand on each side of the victim's head, then place your fingers under the sides of their chin and lift with both hands, moving the jaw forward. Finally, opening their lips with your thumbs. Their airway is now opened and you can begin administering 2 breaths. Each breath should last over 1 second and should be enough to make the victim’s chest rise.

STEP 5: When the AED arrives during any point of the procedure, it is essential to hook it up to the victim immediately. Before doing anything with the machine, turn it on and wait for the instructions to speak out loud. The instructions will tell you to attach the AED to the victims bare chest accordingly. Then, connect the cables that are connected to the pads to the AED machine. Clear the victim, allow the AED to analyze their heat beat and wait for it to instruct you what to do next. If the AED advises you to give the individual a shock, do not touch the victim and administer the shock. Immediately after it is administered resume chest compressions. If it tells you no shock need, continue doing CPR, starting with compressions again. Every five cycles of CPR, it will analyze the victim again, repeating the same steps. 

STEP 6: Continue compressions and manual ventilation until medical professionals arrive or the person begins to move again. Another person can take over CPR every 5 cycles or more frequently if the rescuer becomes fatigued. 

Following each step carefully will lead to saving a person’s life and can be gratifying to the rescuer to know they did something to help a person in a desperate situation. Getting your own certification to do CPR is absolutely worth the effort and time. Hopefully this inspires you to be interested in taking a class for yourself. 

Source: American Heart Association, Basic Life Support Provider Manual

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This part is not meant to be in the blog, but I am aware of how much this passage is highlighted as not my work, but I assure you I attempted to tweak as much of the diction as I could without changing the accuracy of the directions.